Bullied Teen Stabs and kills tormentor

[stevenleser]

96. I have wondered about this a lot and wrote an article about it a few years back...

http://www.democratsforprogress.com/2011/12/13/repeated-harassment-is-not-bullying-its-stalking-lets-prosecute-it-that-way/

REPEATED HARASSMENT IS NOT BULLYING, IT’S STALKING. LET’S PROSECUTE IT THAT WAY.

When teens, preteens and children harass each other, even when that harassment rises to the level of utter cruelty and violence, we have this desire to give it a cutesy name that suggests the idea that this is “just something that kids do.” There is nothing cutesy about the repeated, willful and malicious following and/or harassing of another person. I use that description for this kind of behavior because it both fits what some people refer to as bullying and also is the most common description for stalking.

What we refer to as bullying is not a one-time act. If it were a one-time act, it would be mere simple assault and/or battery, or perhaps not a crime at all. No, the behavior we are really talking about when we refer to bullying or stalking is repeated and unwanted acts by one person or group against another person or group for the purpose of creating an ongoing climate of fear for the target person or group. There are many reasons a particular person or group can be singled out for harassment. It can be because the target person or group dresses a certain way, acts a certain way, is of a certain economic background, nationality, religion or ethnicity, or is perceived to be a member of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgendered) community.
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The purpose of rebranding this behavior to call it stalking is twofold. First, whatever the anti-stalking laws are called in each state, they should be used to stop anyone, including teens and even younger children, from making the lives of other people miserable and unbearable. There is no reason for this to be allowed to go on. No one has the right to treat anyone else this way. Second, as I alluded to in the opening paragraph, there is not enough of a negative connotation to the term bullying. Stalking, on the other hand, has a huge creep factor to it. No one wants to be labeled a stalker.